The Edmonton Oilers are in the middle of quite a mess. The leak involving their search for a new head coach led to the premature dismissal of Kris Knoblauch. Despite having their former coach under contract for three more years, the club had no choice but to move on from him.
The issue, in particular, lay with Edmonton’s request to speak to Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy remains under contract with the Vegas Golden Knights for one more season at a reported $4.5 million.
That situation leads to financial concerns for Vegas, according to insider Elliotte Friedman. In Wednesday’s episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Friedman mused about Vegas’ apprehensions regarding the financials involving Cassidy’s move to another club.
Specifically, Friedman believes that the Golden Knights do not want to be liable for any salary on Cassidy’s contract if and when he moves on to another team, such as the Oilers.
The current NHL regulations state that if a coach is still under contract with one team, and another team pays that same coach less than his previous deal, the original team is on the hook for the difference.
That’s why Friedman made an interesting point. If the Oilers paid Cassidy $1, the Golden Knights would still have to foot the bill for the remainder of his $4.5 million salary.
Of course, that’s a ridiculous example, but it underscores how Edmonton could take advantage of the situation. And that’s why Vegas potentially nixed any potential talks with their erstwhile head coach.
Vegas Might Be Looking for Assurances from Oilers, Kings
The purported denial to speak to Cassidy didn’t extend to just the Oilers. The LA Kings are also believed to be in the market for another coach. Current coach D.J. Smith ran out the season after the club axed Jim Hiller earlier this season.
Smith remained as the interim coach, spurring talk that the Kings would also be looking for a new bench boss.
That said, the Golden Knights, according to Friedman’s line of thinking, could be looking to have some sort of assurance that the Oilers or Kings would be willing to cover the entirety of Cassidy’s $4.5 million salary.
In other words, the Golden Knights don’t want to be on the hook for any of the money remaining on Cassidy’s deal. If that’s the case, hiring Cassidy won’t come cheap for whoever wants him.
What to read next:
Golden Knights Can’t Block Other Teams from Talking to Cassidy
Friedman underscored a key issue. The notable insider stated that he had not gotten confirmation on Vegas, actually denying the request to speak to Cassidy. By Friedman’s reckoning, it seems more like Vegas is dragging out the issue due to its financial concerns.
Unless there’s a powerful reason for the Golden Knights to say no, the club won’t be able to block Cassidy from talking to other teams like the Oilers.
The league may have to step in to ensure that Cassidy gets fair market value on his next contract. As such, it seems inevitable that anyone wanting to hire Cassidy will have to ensure they abide by the rules.
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